Influencer marketing is a bone of contention for any brand if we are to consider the return of investment versus the amount invested in the said influencer. In the same breath influencers weigh their contribution to the brand in terms of reach, brand awareness and association vs the “freebies” they receive.
Brands need to have a serious conversation about how these brand influencers are chosen, in other word what is the criteria to select the best fit to do the job. Number of followers alone cannot be an indicator of such. Yes, reach is important when we speak brand awareness but the spanner in the works will always be are we speaking to our target market by using this blanket approach and this speaks to us marketers and our thought process. An influencer must completely align with what the brand stands for in the broader spectrum of things. This statement does not obliterate the brand pillars a brand might have or the sub brands under the mother brand.
The mere fact that the current zeitgeist dictates that any person should get the hundred thousand followers and bam thy have a job an influencer should come to an end. Ones craft or talent should be ear marked and leveraged against the brands true self in this way this can be used effectively to reach target market. This is where we build true efficacy and reel the aspirational buyer into a brands corner. We must also bear in mind that influencers should not only be compensated through freebies, but some sort of monetary value needs to be put on the table when these individual help us as marketer reach the said marketing key performance indicators.
